FSFE Newsletter - December 2013

Our cryptocards and straw fires

In 2005 we started giving crypto cards
to individuals who donated to us and have become Fellow of FSFE. We believe it
is important to remind people about Free Software tools to encrypt our
communications. Besides since FSFE was founded in 2001, we have been explaining
that those 40 digits on our business cards are about encryption and why this
is important. 8 years later, the topic encryption hit ithe media, and it is now
mentioned in every newspaper in Europe. This is good and bad at the same time:
We currently face the problem that media attention is very high but it does
not mean we have more resources to deal with it. We would like to work more on
these issues but we also cannot stop working on other long term topics.

Importance of long term work

If you take a look at our new timeline
you will see that we often had to work on topics which are difficult to explain to a
larger audience, work intensive, and sometimes unpopular. Companies worked
against Free Software as they saw it as threat to them earning money but we helped
them to understand how they can make revenues with Free Software. We had to spend
8 years of work with the European Commission and the European Court of Justice to
make sure Free Software companies are allowed to compete with Microsoft's work
group servers and since then we are pushing this knowledge also on the
national and local levels. License compliance was an unpopular topic for a
long time but developers have to make sure our software can be programmed and used
without legal risks. When we started working on Open Standards it was a niche
topic, now it is main stream. Companies opposed our position on software
patents, now a lot of businesses and politicians realised they are a dangerous
business risk. Today they use our arguments and ask us for input to get rid of
them.

What we need to master the challenge

We believe in a society in which software is in the hands of all of us: as
individuals, companies and organisations, or governments, instead of a few
powerful entities. Nobody should be allowed to prevent you from changing
software, or asking someone else to change it for you, on your mobile phone,
router, car, or other belongings. The last months have shown us
that it is important for our society to have computers we can trust. Computers
we control. Programs that are transparent in what they do with our data and
which can be changed to fulfil our needs. The only way to achieve this is with
Free Software.

Such a challenge cannot be solved in a few months, it takes a long time. It
takes organisations which continue to work when there is no big media
attention. An organisation which fights for your freedom in the digital age.
FSFE has worked on those issues for over 12 years.

To face this challenge FSFE needs to work continuously towards this goal,
and for this we need you, to invest in your freedom! At the moment it is a
good time to intensify our work, as there are many people out there who listen
differently to the same messages we had before. We would like to expand our
activities, and therefore we need your donation. Do what others did who value
software freedom: Become a supporting member by joining the Fellowship of
FSFE!

Shall I buy a computer without an operating system and install GNU/Linux
distribution of my own choice, or buy a laptop with GNU/Linux preinstalled
which includes non-free software? Participate in the discussion on our
public English speaking list by reading
this message , continue with the mentioned blogs articles there,
comment on the list, and like Paul Boddie wrote: join other volunteers
to maintain the hardware
vendors page.

Jérémie Zimmermann from our friends at La Quadrature Du Net argues in
"Snowden and the Future of our Communication Architecture" that the
"Snowden revelations give us a vivid illustration that Richard Stallman and
others have been right for all these years." He writes that we need
decentralised services, Free Software, and end-to-end encryption.

The Neo900 phone moved beyond the discussion phase and into the
fundraising phase. Paul Boddie gives some
background.

Besides he takes a look
at the Free Software Desktop. He argues that "Free Software desktop
developers have imperilled their own mission with the result that they now
have to make up lost ground in the struggle to get people to use their
software."

Get active: Why does Free Software matter to you?

This month Jacob Appelbaum, spokesperson for the Tor Project, and two other
Tor developers became supporting members of FSFE and Jacob explained why he did
so:

I believe that actions of support for the FSFE are important for
encouraging Free Software development and adoption in Europe as well as the
rest of the world. I'm an FSFE Fellow because financially supporting the cause
of Free Software brings positive improvements to all societies throughout the
world.

Quotes like this help others understanding the importance of our work. On
our english Fellowship page some of our Fellows
already explain why Free Software and FSFE's work is important to them. We
would also like you to write us why Free Software and our
work matters to you. In agreement with you, we would then like to
publish some of the submissions on our website. Else they just motivate
FSFE's working teams.

Subscribe to FSFE's monthly newsletter

About FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to
control technology.

Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives. It is important
that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software
gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt and share software.
These rights help support other fundamental rights like freedom of
speech, freedom of press and privacy.